I'm a second year PA student going to school in VA, but I'm from CA. It's been awhile and I don't have any contacts in CA to do my rotations. I need advice/ideas on how to find rotations, preferably in the LA area for this July and August (my elective rotations). My main interest are orthopedics and dermatology, but really any rotation help will be much appreciated. Thanks.

What is the process of creating a clinical site or at least an affiliation with a doctor or organization for one student to do a rotation at? I have been desperately trying to get clinical rotations in CA, my home, while I am currently out of state. I have situational depression and I know that being able to do rotations back at home would help immensely with my focus, happiness, and health, but my school won't budge in helping me. Their reasoning was that it's too much work for them to make affiliations with new sites. I have found doctors willing to take me in for rotations though, so the only thing left would be the paperwork which I thought was in large part filled out by the preceptor. Does anyone know anything about this, and if so, could you please help me understand?

I haven't seen anything on the forum about this school so I decided To start a new thread for the 2016-2017 application cycle at the University of La Verne. The program is not accredited yet. I submitted my application yesterday. According to the program director they do not utilize rolling admissions. Has anybody else applied here?

Hi all! Just wanted to get this topic started for this years application cycle. Received my email today that they have received my application and will be reviewing files on a rolling basis. This is my second year applying to PA school but first year applying to CDU.
Look forward to chatting with you all throughout this cycle.

University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) – Fresno will be accepting two PA students for our wilderness medicine student elective. As an introduction to wilderness medicine, the elective will cover environmental illnesses, trauma, search and rescue, burns, bites and stings, wilderness improvisation, and more. This two-week elective includes one week of didactic education then moves into the Sierra Nevada mountains for hands-on training. UCSF faculty and guest instructors will be leading the elective. UCSF Fresno has a robust wilderness medicine program including a wilderness medicine fellowship and medical direction/education to the National Park Service.
Elective dates:
9/3/18 – 9/14/18
Deadline to apply:
4/15/18
Prerequisites:
PA student in their final year of training
PA must be able to provide their own transportation
For more information:
https://www.fresno.ucsf.edu/medical-student-programs/wilderness-medicine-rotation/
Email:
em.pa.residency@fresno.ucsf.edu

Hello all,
My name is Michelle, an aspiring Physician Assistant. I am currently working on my CASPA application, and I would like to ask for your help. I am in need of a PA shadowing opportunity in the Los Angeles area. I have been reaching out to different websites and hospitals for an opportunity, but I've always been turned down. I hope you can help me find this opportunity. Thank you!

Hello everyone who are applying to the University of the Pacific PA program. It will be in Sacramento. Just thought I should start a thread for us.
I am re-applying to this program as a 2nd time applicant. Best of luck!

Hi,
I am looking for PA's to shadow in the San Jose area, but I am willing to travel further for shadowing. I am a pre-PA student entering my 4th year as an undergraduate at UCLA, pursuing a degree in Biology. I am currently a volunteer at my university hospital's child life department and I also volunteer with an organization that provides healthcare services to the underserved community. I also worked with geriatric patients in a program that paired patients with students. I would be interested in shadowing PA's of any specialty. Please send me a private message if you are willing to let me shadow!
Thanks,
Hilary

Hey everyone,
I am a new graduate and I have been working for an Ortho and Spine group in southern CA for 6 months. I started taking phone call about 3 months after my start date without additional compensation. I currently do phone call every 3rd weekend. My job is now discussing that I take hospital call as well, but they only pay if the PA gets called in for trauma surgery. The PA does not get compensated for being on call and not getting called in. The PA does not get paid for rotating on patient's during the week or on weekends. If a patient is in the hospital during the week, then the PA goes in before office hours, which begins between 7 and 8 am.
My contract DOES NOT discuss call at all. I know I should have added something about call in my contract, but I didn't and now here I am.
Half the PA's do only phone call and the other half do only hospital call. Now our practice seems to want all the PA's on hospital call and phone call, which is fair. However, I don't believe it is fair that we are not compensated for our time. Half of the PA's seem to be on board to try to get our company to compensate for call. Unfortunately, the PA's that are pushing to get paid for call are the newer PA's that make less salary and money for the practice.
Our ortho doctor just started trauma call and he gets paid by the hospital to be on call, even if he does not go in. I don't believe our spine doctor gets paid unless he performs the surgery, however, he is the owner of the practice, so he basically gets paid for everything billed.
QUESTIONS FOR YOU:
- Do you get compensated for call?
- If so, how much?
- Do you do hospital call or phone call? Both?
- Do you get paid even if you do not go in?
- Do you know of any resources or surveys that show PA call compensation?
Thank you so much for your assistance!

Hi I am looking for where I can find a comprehensive summary of major practicing laws in California and New York? I found the handbooks online, however they seem rather detailed and long and I am trying to look for something more comprehensive so I have a general understanding. If anyone knows any major differences in the laws in these two states that would be great too! Thanks!

Hi all -
Is anyone here active with CAPA or with working to improve the practice laws in CA? I know we had some improvements last year but some are still a bit archaic. I'd like to find some like-minded folks so we can work to drive this forward.

Any one else had an issue? And if so how did you get it done? I currently have resulted to asking my congressman to intervene.
So before I became a PA I was a combat Medic with the US Army. I maintained a license not through an individual state but through the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. Since becoming a PA-C I need my license to practice in the state of CA. The state of CA requires form PA-7 to be sent from NREMT directly to the state exhibiting a letter of good standing. They have lost my forms on multiple occasions (4 to be exact) they won't ever give me any other information other than "you need to wait 30 days" it has now been 34 days since the 4th form was sent via fed ex with signature confirmation and I was told "whoops what we meant was 30 'business days' call back in a few weeks." This has been 4 months since my very first submission of the PA-7 form.
Or does anyone have any recommendations? I've contacted the state who says I HAVE to have this form there's no other way. My application in its entirety is complete with the state except for this one piece of paper. My record with the NREMT is completely clean as well, the paper form is just not getting done or mailed out. Thanks guys!

I'm a first year student at community college, where I plan to be for 2 years. Hopefully, I can transfer after that majoring in Psychology. As for my experience, I will earn some hours at a hospice this semester. I'll set up my classes for spring semester in a way that I can take an EMT class at an ROP too. While, I do this, I'll be working as a caregiver for a few days a week (maybe not even necessary). After my EMT certification, I find a job for that and continue working as I am getting my degree. I'll also apply for a health scholar summer program, where I'll be volunteering at a hospital in the summer all week. (I will not work all summer because of this) Will I be set? Advices?

Hello All,
Under the direction of the physician, the Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant performs delegated medical acts consistent with the skills, training, education and competence of physician assistants and within the scope of the practice of the supervising physician. Qualifications: - Experience: Graduate of an accredited Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant Program - Licensure: A valid California State issued Certification for Nurse Practitioners or Physician Assistants- Experience with chronic pain population (preferred not required)Requirements:- Patience, willingness to learn and strong interpersonal skillsIf you meet the above requirements and looking for an exciting place of work, with great benefits and excellent salary. Please take a moment to share your experience and apply by submitting a resume.
If yourself or anyone you know is interested, please submit resume to Eric@Symbiontmed.com.
Thank you for your time!

The majority of my friends in med school went to in-state schools, so I wanted to try asking on here before digging through my friends list for my out-of-state friends. Can I please get critiques/advice?
I was VERY fortunate enough to be invited for an interview in July in Pennsylvania and I'm trying to map out my travel plans. The interview is July 26th, so I'm planning on booking a package deal (plane+hotel+car) on Expedia for the occasion. I intend to fly out from Texas on the 25th, pick up a rental car once I land, and stay at a hotel near the school. The next day, I plan to check out, drive to the interview, and then go straight to the airport to fly back.
Does this plan sound reasonable? Am I accounting for everything? Are there cheaper options? ALSO, (silly question, but) I've never rented a car online, and I'm wondering if the car will be somewhere at/near the airport for me to pick up? They'll probably give me details once I finalize my payment, but I wanted to ask all of you interview veterans first.
Thanks!

Hi everyone,
I am a new graduate, and I just received an Ortho PA job offer in coastal California. I will start training (same salary) as soon as I finish my boards, while I am waiting for my licenses to process. The job is M-F from 8-5. OR 1-2 days/week, but not when I initially start. Call time was not mentioned in the contract, but it's about once/month (no additional pay)
What's offered:
- Base Salary: 100k
- At-will contract; If I stay less than a year, then I have to repay the licenses, relocation bonus, CME. etc. back to the employer.
- Health insurance, vision, and dental
- Incentive bonus: available after 3 months (PA's at the company said that I probably wouldn't reach the bonus requirement until 9-12 months)
- PTO: 10 days/year (accrue on a pro-rated semi-monthly basis from the date employment commences)
- 9 paid holidays
- sick days: 5 days/year (accrue after 3 months)
- CME: $2,500 and 5 days off (in addition to the 10 days PTO)
- All licenses covered: reimbursement for Board expenses, initial licenses and license renewals, including D.E.A. and California license
- $4,000 relocation bonus
- Three memberships reimbursed: example AMA or CMA
- Gas reimbursement: I have to drive to the satellite locations a few days/week.
- Malpractice: company covers professional liability insurance with tail coverage
What's not offered:
- retirement (401k)
What do you think of this offer? Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Hello all,
I'm in need of some serious advice, either from someone who has been in a similar situation or can help out in general. I'll start with some backstory.
I'm currently a medical social worker and about a month ago realized that I probably should have gone into medicine instead of social work. The hard part is what I do isn't considered hands on and I don't have any prerequisites so I have to do it all. I'll lay out my plan and if anyone could help out with it hard be great because I'm a bit nervous about the process and the fact that it'll take me a few years to complete everything since I currently work full time.
I plan on taking all the prerequisites at my community college since all of the classes, with labs, are offered there. Unfortunately, this will take me about 2-3 years because I simply cannot leave my job to pursue his full time. My worry is whether schools will frown upon be doing these classes at a CC. I haven't read anything stating so, but it is a concern.
I plan on getting my CNA in the coming months and hope to work somewhere super part time, since I'll have school on my plate as well. I also currently volunteer at a medical clinic for patients who don't have insurance and do scribing there. Once I get my CNA there is a chance I could get approved by the medical director to do flu vaccines, urinalysis and blood sugar checks if I prove that I am competent enough to do so.
I haven't sorted out he shadowing yet, but once my ducks are in a row I'll start looking into it more.
My gpa from my undergrad (psych) was a 3.1 and my masters gpa was a 4.0 so I hope to maintain hat range and stay at a 3.5 for science once I start classes.
I currently speak Russian and intend on learning Spanish because I have always been interested in it.
Please give me whatever advice you can offer, I really want to make this happen but am becoming so overwhelmed at the requirements since it's been a while since I have actually had to do this kind of thing.
I reside in California and can't leave the state so all programs I apply to will be in ca. Im in the Bay Area so if someone is local, I'd love to talk further. I don't know if my age matters, but I'm 26. Do I have a fighting chance here? Will my current degree help me stand out?
Thanks in advance for any help!!